UML for a better financial audit

International Journal of Accounting & Information Management

ISSN: 1834-7649

Article publication date: 2 March 2010

106

Citation

(2010), "UML for a better financial audit", International Journal of Accounting & Information Management, Vol. 18 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijaim.2010.36618aad.023

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited


UML for a better financial audit

Article Type: AMIS statement and abstracts From: International Journal of Accounting and Information Management, Volume 18, Issue 1

Abstract

The unified modeling language (UML) became a de facto standard in the field of information systems analysis and design during the last decade, and its scope and applications constantly increased. Among this language's auxiliary applications (called extensions), the business process modeling extension is particularly important, due to the large area of applicability as well as the interdisciplinary aspects of the implementation areas. The present paper is an attempt to familiarize financial audit professionals with the field of business modeling, including a proposal and an analysis of an original way of using business modeling for the benefit of the financial audit mission: building business models for the business processes which are to be audited, in order to accustom the audit team with the audit object (the entity), as prescribed by the International Standard on Auditing 315 – Understanding the Entity and Its Environment and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement. As seen by the author, this approach has important benefits for the financial auditor, as it requires no high level of computer knowledge; it does affect neither the auditor's independence, nor his professional reason. This approach is only meant to transform the understanding of the audited entity and its environment in a coherent and well-structured process, and is, in our opinion, fully compatible with the financial audit mission's objectives, the financial auditor's interests, as well as the ISA 315's requests.

Keywords Business modeling, Business process, Unified modeling language, Business entity, Financial audit mission

DragoŞ Mangiuc

The Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania

Corresponding author

DragoŞ Mangiuc can be contacted at: mangiuc@gmail.com

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